Endobronchial malignancies with significant airway obstruction can lead to multiple complications including pneumonia, and atelectasis over a period of time. Various intraluminal treatments have proven their value in palliative treatment for advanced malignancies. Nd:YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet; Nd:Y3Al5O12) laser has established its role as a major palliative intervention due to its minimal side effects and improvement in quality of life by relieving local symptoms.The systematic review was conducted with the goal of elucidating the patient characteristics, pre-treatment parameters, clinical outcomes, and possible complications resulting from the use of the Nd:YAG laser. A thorough literature search for relevant studies was conducted on PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library from the inception of the idea to November 24, 2022. Our study included all original studies including retrospective studies and prospective trials, but excluded case reports, case series with less than 10 patients, and studies with incomplete or irrelevant data. A total of 11 studies were included in the analysis. The primary outcomes focused on the evaluation of pulmonary functional tests, postprocedural stenosis, blood gas parameters after the procedure, and survival outcomes. Improvement in clinical status, improvement in objective scale for dyspnea, and complications were the secondary outcomes.Our study shows that Nd:YAG laser treatment is an effective form of palliative treatment to provide subjective and objective improvement in patients with advanced and inoperable endobronchial malignancies. Due to the heterogeneous study populations in the studies reviewed and the presence of many limitations, more studies are still warranted to reach a definitive conclusion.

Tracheal stenosis (TS) is an iatrogenic sequela after intubation or tracheostomy that is increasing despite technological improvement and skilled respiratory care in the ICU. According to the studies, the rate of TS varies from 10 to 22%, but only 1-2% of these stenoses are severe and present with inspiratory dyspnea that does not respond to medical management. Bronchoscopy is considered the most appropriate diagnostic test, and laser surgery and tracheobronchial stenting are the most commonly performed procedures for tracheal stenosis. However, alternative treatment options, including cryotherapy for inoperable patients, have yet to be studied widely. As the number of patients requiring ICU admission with mechanical intubation is increasing, it is crucial to acknowledge this complication and consider alternative management options. Here we present a review of the use of cryotherapy for post-intubation tracheal stenosis. Pubmed, Cochrane, and EMBASE databases were inquired for studies performed using the keywords 'airway stricture' OR 'airway obstruction' AND 'post-intubation' OR 'post-extubation' OR 'tracheostomy' AND 'cryotherapy'. After the primary and secondary screening, five studies were included in the analysis. We included 67 patients were included in the analysis, with a mean age of 50.2 (range: 42-55) years. Tracheal stenosis and subglottic stricture were the most common sites of stenosis. Twenty-nine patients were treated with cryotherapy only, while the rest 38 patients had cryotherapy followed by balloon dilation. After the intervention, 48 patients experienced improvement, five experienced no change in the symptoms, 13 patients were asymptomatic before the treatment, and one died. No complication was reported in 65 patients, with only minor complications reported in rest. Although, there is no clear treatment protocol for patients with inoperable tracheal stenosis. Our review demonstrates that cryotherapy for inoperable tracheal stenosis can be an acceptable alternative treatment with significant clinical improvement. Additionally, cryotherapy has fewer adverse effects compared to other treatment options.

Persistent air leaks (PALs) are associated with prolonged hospital stays, contamination and sustained infection of the pleural space, and significant morbidity. A fistulous tract between the alveoli and the pleural space is referred to as an alveolar-pleural fistula (APF), whereas a fistulous tract between the bronchiole and the pleural space is referred to as a bronchopleural fistula (BPF). There is no consensus on the treatment, and multiple modalities exist for the management of persistent air leak (PAL). Autologous blood patch (ABP) is a relatively safe and inexpensive method that has been used for many years for the treatment of PALs.We conducted an electronic database search between 08/24/2022 and 08/27/2022 in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane using keywords. The following keywords were used: "Blood patch" OR "Autologous blood patch" AND "pleurodesis." Our study included all original studies with the prime focus on the etiology of PALs, clinical characteristics, procedural details of ABP, and outcomes of the proposed treatment. The primary outcomes that were the focus of our study were the time to seal the air leak, the time to remove the chest tube after air leak cessation, and the time to discharge from the hospital. To determine the safety of ABP, we also evaluated the procedural outcomes.Our findings suggest a statistically significant decrease in the time to air leak cessation when compared to the control group (mean difference of -3.75 {95% CI: -5.65 to -1.85; P=0.001}) with considerable heterogeneity of I 2 =85% and P=0.001. However, the difference was not statistically significant when a lower dose of ABP (50 mL) was compared to a higher dose (100 mL) (mean difference of 1.48 {95% CI: -0.07 to 3.02; P=0.06}) and considerable heterogeneity of I 2 =80% and P=0.03. There was no statistically significant difference in the time to discharge when compared to the control group (mean difference of -2.12 {95% CI: -4.83 to 0.59; P=0.13}) and considerable heterogeneity (I 2 =95% and P<0.001).When compared to the control group, ABP did not provide any statistically significant difference in the risk ratio for infection (1.18 {95% CI: 0.52 to 2.65; P=0.70} and moderate heterogeneity {I 2 =33% and P=0.20}), pain (1.18 {95% CI: 0.52 to 2.65; P=0.70} and moderate heterogeneity {I 2 =33% and P=0.20}), and fever (0.54 {95% CI: 0.27 to 1.10; P=0.09} and no heterogeneity {I 2 =0% and P=0.50}).Our study concludes that using ABP caused a statistically significant decrease in the time to air leak cessation when compared to the control group. However, the procedure does not provide a statistically significant difference in the time to discharge from the hospital when compared to conservative treatment. Similarly, there was no statistically significant difference in the risk ratio for complications such as infection, pain, and fever when compared to conservative management. More studies need to be conducted to fully understand the efficacy and safety of ABP in the management of PALs.

The systematic review aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of endobronchial stent placement for malignant airway obstruction. A comprehensive search was conducted across multiple databases to identify relevant studies. Cohort studies, randomized controlled trials, and case-control studies examining the outcomes of endobronchial stent placement in patients with malignant airway obstruction were included. Data on pre-treatment evaluation, such as pulmonary function testing, dyspnea severity scoring systems, arterial blood gas parameters, imaging, and degree of obstruction, were also collected. Primary outcomes of interest included post-procedure stenosis, pulmonary function testing evaluation, blood gas parameters, and survival outcomes. Secondary outcomes encompassed improvements in clinical status, dyspnea grade, and procedure-related complications. A total of 27 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. The included studies demonstrated promising outcomes of endobronchial stent placement in managing malignant airway obstruction. Post-procedure airway diameters, pulmonary function testing, and blood gas parameters improved significantly. Survival outcomes varied among studies. Furthermore, endobronchial stent placement was associated with improvements in clinical status and dyspnea grade. Procedure-related complications ranged from pain, hemoptysis and mucus plugging to stent obstruction, migration and pneumothorax. This systematic review suggests that endobronchial stent placement is an effective and safe intervention for managing malignant airway obstruction. It offers significant improvements in post-procedure stenosis, pulmonary function testing, blood gas parameters, and clinical outcomes. However, further studies with larger sample sizes and standardized reporting are warranted to better evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of endobronchial stent placement for malignant airway obstruction.